Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Clive Russell (Blackfish) talk about Brienne and the siege of Riverrun

Episode 8, ‘No One‘ of Game of Thrones season 6 gave us a few notable emotional moments that included the reunion of Jaime and Brienne, along with the siege of Riverrun that ended not in a battle but in the betrayal of the Blackfish by Edmure Tully, and the eventual death of Blackfish. Towards the end, the goodbye that Jaime and Brienne shared was just as emotionally draining as their prior reunion. Turns out it was equally emotional for the actors and characters as it was for the viewers. Jaime’s quick and tactful manipulation of Edmure Tully made us like him even more despite the fact that he used to be one of the hated characters (I think we can agree that most of us love the Kingslayer now).

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays Jaime Lannister talked about the seige of Riverrun and the emotional reunion of Brienne and Jaime, in an interview with The Daily Beast.

“I love that scene. Jaime took the most precious thing Edmure had—his self-esteem and honor—and took that away from him by basically saying, listen, I know you’ve been in captivity for years now and have refused to budge, and I admire that, but this is the way it’s going to go down… It’s very brutal and when you hear him say it you think, wow, what a terrible thing to do, but at the end of the day, it’s saving the lives of many of the people in the castle because Jaime’s going to take it with his men—it’s just a matter of time and how many people are killed. At the end of the day, Edmure’s pride is hurt beyond repair but I’m sure the hundreds of people inside the castle with families appreciate that they’re still alive,” said Coster-Waldau.

While speaking to VultureClive Russell, who plays the Blackfish discussed how his character tried his best to protect his home from the Lannisters and how Edmure betrayed him. “Had I confronted him, I would have had to get through lots of enemy soldiers. So everything falls down. There’s a moment where we catch each other’s eye. My soldiers lay down their arms, and there’s a phalanx of guys coming across the drawbridge, and he’s on horseback. I’m basically looking at him saying, “Well, f*** you,” he said.

Russell also clarified how he was in support of the fact that Blackfish’s death wasn’t shown on-screen. He said, “You can have so much horror, and the violence in Game of Thrones is pretty near the edge, but I think in that case, it was absolutely right. What has been set up as an impregnable castle just suddenly dissolves by treachery, and that the Blackfish should die offstage is absolutely right… I’m trying to stop the soldiers coming through the corridor, stop them discovering her making her escape in the little boat. My concern is to get Brienne out. By the time I do, the soldiers are upon me. But I’m also refusing to run. It’s very much him dying honorably, fighting an enemy, which is what part of him felt he should have done at the Red Wedding.”

Coster-Waldau later spoke about Jaime’s feelings during the Brienne-Jaime reunion. “I think it’s one of the purest forms of love that Jaime’s experienced. The fact that he risks his life to save her from the bear attack, as well as when he stops the rape of her—and loses his hand because of that—is powerful. In the bathtub scene, he opened up to her and told her things he hadn’t told anyone, including the truth of why he killed the Mad King and the enormity of that trauma. For her to embrace him after that was, as I see it, an act of love,” he said.

Now that Riverrun is taken by the Lannisters, and Brienne has bid goodbye to it, we can only wait for the last episode to see what happens next. But before that, we must face Bastardbowl at last.

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